Hiring a porter and/or a guide can add greatly to your trek experience in Nepal, especially if this is your first time, and if you are traveling on less frequented trails, thus having to carry a heavy load (tents, food etc). An independent porter costs about $15-$20 a day, and a guide costs about $9-$10. Make sure you agree upon the wage before hiring one. You can ask your hotelier or a local trekking agency in Kathmandu or Pokhara to find one for you. You can also find them in bigger settlements along your trekking route.
Trekking with an agency can be worthwhile for those who are very tight on schedule but not on money. A trekking agency can organize a trek for you for anywhere in the price depending upon the nature of your trek. The deal normally comes with food, shelter, porters and guides. You will be traveling with other similar trekkers. If you hire an agency in Kathmandu or Pokhara, you get a much better bargain than hiring one in your home country. While traveling with an agency offers you a degree of luxury that may not be available if you go independently, it also has its own limitations. You have to stick to the group schedule; you will not be able to design your own plans; the trip is fairly expensive and your interaction with the local culture will be limited.
While trekking alone can be a great way to get to know the country, deciding to trek alone deserves a second thought. Safety-wise, it is generally okay to trek alone on popular trekking route. Incidents involving trekkers do occur occasionally (and probably is on the rise). But as a general advice, you should team-up. Teaming-up can also be of great help if you ever need some medical help. During the main tourist season, you will run across other trekkers who will not mind you joining them. Also, you can find posters in the main tourist areas of Kathmandu and Pokhara looking for trekking partners. An option is also to hire a trek guide or a porter to go along with you.
There are numerous treks you can try when you are in Nepal depending on the time of the year, amount of time and money you have to spend, and the amount of experience you've had. For limited time and money, the best trekking routes would be the Langtang-Helambu trek just north of Kathmandu, and parts of the Annapurna region trek north of Pokhara. If you have more time, a trek in the Everest region or the full Annapurna circuit can be rewarding. A more difficult trek is the Kanchanjunga area trek in the far-eastern Nepal. A good trekking book is recommended if you want more details on treks.
The duration of the trek depends on the region of the trek and on interests which you have. Generally speaking, your trek can range from 2-3 days to month time or longer periods if you wish. Even the same trek can be of a different duration for different trekkers depending on their wishes and interests on the route.
Difficulty of the treks depends on the region of the trek and duration of it. Shorter treks tend to be easier while longer ones require some physical fitness.
Tea House Trek - is a trek during which at the end of each trekking day you stay for overnight in Tea Houses. “Holiday Himalaya” also organizes Camping Treks during which you stay for overnight in tents which our guides will set up for you and food during such treks will be cooked by our experienced cook.
Tea House is the combination of guest house, restaurant, and social hang out. Many years experience of “Holiday Himalaya” in field of organizing various treks in Nepal assures you that we have chosen for our treks the cleanest and most hygienically kept Tea Houses with friendly atmosphere and best views. Most of the Tea Houses have running water facility. Many of them have hot water available for bathing. But we discourage our groups from using water heated by wood as lack of firewood in most villages is a big environmental concern in Nepal.
Private rooms are available in most tea houses except for high altitudes ones. Most bathrooms are shared. Most of the Tea Houses have running water facility.
During a Tea House trek you will have breakfast and dinner in the Tea House, lunch will be eaten at one of the trail side restaurants. During a Camping Trek all food will be cooked by our experienced cook. Every Tea House serves the traditional Nepali meal Dal Bhat (rice and lentil soup). All Tea Houses of our routs have variety of different food items, such as rice, vegetables, noodles, potatoes and soup. Many of them have western food on menu. Soft drinks, snacks and beer are available in most of the Tea Houses and trail side restaurants.
Food safety is always a big concern and we take it very seriously. That is why we have chosen the cleanest and most hygienically kept Tea Houses for our routs. During a Camping Trek our cook prepares safe and tasty meals from carefully chosen food items and only hygienic cleaning facilities are used.
All Tea Houses have boiled water for trekkers. And on the trek you will be provided with drinking water by your guide. The guide will make sure that water is safe for drinking.
Best time for trekking is autumn (October-November) and spring (end of February-April). Short treks and some Tea Houses treks can be done during winter season as well.
You need to be prepared for sudden weather changes while trekking. That’s why trekking equipment should be chosen carefully before the trip. Sudden rain storms or snow are always a possibility which needs to be considered. The weather during the trekking season is somewhat more stable. “Holiday Himalaya” pays big attention to weather forecast, so you will be told about weather prognosis and you will be given advises before trek.
Choosing the clothes for trekking is very important. Please, check our trekking equipment list for details.
For shorter treks comfortable tennis shoes or snickers is enough while longer treks require carefully chosen hiking boots which should be kind of strong, well-made but light boots. Shoes and boots are best to buy before arriving in Nepal. Proper fit is a must for boots and we advise you to wear your new shoes for sometime before trek for your feet to feel absolutely comfortable during trekking.
You can easily rent needed equipment for reasonable price in Kathmandu or Pokhara before trek but it’s always preferable and more convenient to have your own equipment during trekking, so we advise you to bring equipment with you or to buy here as most of the outdoor equipment can be bought in Kathmandu or Pokhara in one of the many outdoor gear shops.
Altitude sickness is a serious problem. “Holiday Hiamalaya”, having many years of experience in trekking and good knowledge of the problem, organizes treks very carefully. Extra day of acclimatization is included in all our high altitude treks. Our guides are trained to spot any signs of altitude sickness and know how to deal with it.
“Holiday Himalaya” is prepared for any emergency situation and knows how to handle it. Our guides are trained in first aid and can deal with most of the basic ailments that occur during a trek. Every client should have his own insurance before coming to Nepal for case of emergency.
Guides of “Holiday Himalaya” have many years of guiding experience in Nepal as well as Tibet. Most of them have been spending years exploring the country. Our guides are trained in first aid and know how to handle any situation. All our guides speak fluent English and happy to share their deep knowledge of the country and beauty of Nepal with you. We believe in and follow the idea that it’s not enough to take visitors to special places or special cultures, we need to provide guides who can get people feel involved in what they are experiencing, explain it thoroughly and keep them entertained.
Main concern of “Holiday Himalaya” is to make your trip in Nepal safe, memorable and fun!